Safety Issues in Homebrewing

I put my 6.5 gal carboys in milk crates to carry them. Makes it pretty simple, but I got small hands so reaching the crate handles isn't a problem for me like folks with bigger hands would have.

In reading this I'm thinking about adding a little bit of foam to the inside of the crates, in the event I have to put it down hard/quickly it would further minimize stress on the carboy.

I am speaking partly from experience, I don't think that a piece of plywood inside the crates would be going overboard. I know that the crates do flex, and eventually fail (half of mine have), and that foam'll be pretty compressed after a while. half inch maybe?

Yeah, I used closed cell foam for kayak outfitting and it definitely compresses. I'd think at least 1/2" would be best.

Good point on the plywood to more evenly distribute the weight, especially in the event of cracking (which I had never considered).

Baldy_Beer_Brewery said:

Same here but outside.

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Actually, I employ the Tui Brewery employment plan and have women, gorgeous women, doing all of the work while I supervise.

They haven't complained about dropped spoons yet, and they seem to hit the deck all day!

My biggest safety issue? SWMBO.

@realbeer when you have fresh cigars rolled on the tanned thighs of topless young Caribean lasses, OPEN A PUB (and let me know)

@paddle yeah closed cell would be good, it squishes, but not all the way down to dead nothing like foam rubber. BTW, what do you paddle?

brewmonk said:

@realbeer when you have fresh cigars rolled on the tanned thighs of topless young Caribean lasses, OPEN A PUB (and let me know)

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I have a deep and consistent dream of opening a brewpub in a Caribbean cruise-ship port of call like St. Martin.

Actually, if it weren't priced at 1.2 million, I would have bought the bar at this location. I am by no means a rich man, but it would have been awesome to purchase the Sunset Beach Bar when its owner put the for sale sign up.

Can you dock a bar-sized boat there for less?

brewmonk said:

@paddle yeah closed cell would be good, it squishes, but not all the way down to dead nothing like foam rubber. BTW, what do you paddle?

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White water, I got a couple older model pyranha's right now. An H3 for creeking, that I still love even if it isn't a "real creeker". And an S8, for playing/river running, that I'd love to take outside and burn cause it's so awful. But I don't have the $'s to upgrade right now, and with 2 little kids it's hard to justify the time I can dedicate to it.

brewmonk said:

Do you fireproof your brewing area? Brew with a fire extinguisher, a CO detector, first aid kit, ventilation? wood v.s. metal? gfci's? drink while you brew?

Please share any ideas. I'd love to see what I can incorporate in my brewroom.

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I brew in a detached garage with windows and sliding door open. Besides having a hose available if need be, I have a fire extinguisher and CO detector.

IceFisherChris said:

Yes guys, carbon monoxide is CO and it is the stuff you should really worry about.
Carbon Dioxide CO2 is not nearly as dangerous. You'd know you're in danger if there is too much CO2.

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Yes, seriously, be VERY careful of carbon monoxide. It got to me back in my younger days (early 20's) when I was restoring a car and didn't pay any attention exhaust fumes in the garage. Long story but basically it was young and stupid almost becoming young and dead.

The following are symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning at low levels of exposure:

• Headaches
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Shortness of Breath
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

Chronic Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

If a person is exposed to low levels of carbon monoxide over a long period of time, they may experience symptoms for a long period of time - even after the exposure to carbon monoxide has ended. This exposure may result in difficulties in the following areas:



Memory and Attention: The person may have trouble recalling recent events, concentrating, or finding the right words to express themselves.

Physical: Headaches, nausea, vomiting, and chronic fatigue are symptoms of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition, the individual may complain of muscle and joint pain, tingling, and dizziness.

Vision and Balance: Blurred vision, difficulty keeping one's balance, and a buzzing in the ears may also be caused by exposure to carbon monoxide.

Personality Changes: When a person feels irritable or anxious, they may not necessarily connect it to carbon monoxide poisoning, but these symptoms have been linked to long-term exposure to the gas.



from: http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Carbon_Monoxide_Poisoning_Symptoms

@paddle rivers, cool, never done it. i put up my boat in my profile, it's mahogany,maple,birch,and rosewood.

@denny man, I haven't seen that sig recently, but i remember it from a while(s) back, gald to reconnect a name with it.

@realbeer CO scares me. And I'm glad it does. So does my favorite cabinet saw and I wouldn't have it any other way.

brewmonk said:

@paddle rivers, cool, never done it. i put up my boat in my profile, it's mahogany,maple,birch,and rosewood.
.

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Beautiful, beautiful boat.

I'm hoping to get my son (and myself) into canoe tripping when he gets just a bit older. Would love to get a nice wood boat like that, but I'll probably end up with a used coleman off craigslist.

thanks, the best of luck whatever you get.

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

This doesn't work.

brewmonk said:

thanks, the best of luck whatever you get.

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

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A long time since I read that line. Anyone who likes Kenneth Grahame can't be all bad......

well, I happen to have a *boat* problem, too.

I brew in the garage with propane and propane accessories...

crack the garage door, crack a window and have a fire extinguisher handy. A propane salamander heater puts out way more CO than the burners we use and folks use the heaters in garages all the time....

mold, burns, scalding, asphyxia, elec.shock, natgas/propane "issues", immolation, anything else?
... (added: getting crushed)

DAMN, we do this for FUN?

Sturdy work surface / brew stand.

My folding table almost collapse under the combined weight of my boil and mash tun. Would have ended up with scalding hot water all over, a lit propane burner god knows where, broken glass, and a broken lamp in the middle of all that water.

Risk vs. Gain I suppose. I've gotten mild burns before from hot liquid.

Howver, to put it all in perspective I go out to sea on nuclear submarines.

Steel tube, filled with high pressure air, high pressure hydraulics, scalding hot steam, electricity, toxic chemicals, weapons all surrounded by water. Would be a whole lot crappier if something happened out there (but so far it hasn't).

A table collapse would suck. I just added getting crushed above.
... (I couldn't be a sub-mariner, I get short of breath with just a snorkel)

hey, who has safety screens/bars on their grainmills if they are motorized??

If brewing inside I use my stove so biggest issues for me is moving boiling water/wort and handling glass corboys. I handle both these issues by slow moving of wort/water and carrying carboy from the bottom or the simple bear-hug (always dry carboy prior to handling). The only thing I should add would be some sort of slip-free matting.

Outside I use a propane burner and follow the same tactics; but I also add that I avoid roasting marshmallows under the pretty blue flame

I have a fully supplied med kit in my house and fear the day that I need it since I think the SWMBO would panic or hate being yelled at me on how to dress any wound that she would tell me to f' off and die already... I actually only have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and have not thought of carrying it with me in to the backyard when brewing. I guess I figure that unless I catch myself on fire (would be hard to put myself out) I have insurance and would get the kids and wife out of the house and sit outside and watch it burn.... and then call 911 halfway through..

brewmonk said:

Do you fireproof your brewing area? Brew with a fire extinguisher, a CO detector, first aid kit, ventilation? wood v.s. metal? gfci's? drink while you brew?

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drink like a fish, especially during beer breeding. no exer..yet but that will be for welding, and shop safety considering how much compressed gases and explosive/fmammables i posess, not for brewing with 100k btu burner. and another exer will be in the house near my sleeping room (home safety). no co^x alarms. i jump outta the way of spilling boiling wort/falling objects when all possible. ventillation? nah! it's only propane! i open the service door to the shop.

do you own or rent?

Last time I brewed, I had my weiner hanging out of my pants, at my girlfriends request.....

brewmonk said:

My problem is seeing something start to fall - it's tough to stop from trying to grab it, boiling or not. Sharp or not.

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I brew outside and made a safety chain. I attach a chain around the opening in the keggle and attach the other end to a tree branch. Got the idea from watching an old western movie on TCM. They were hanging a guy from a tree who was sitting on top of a horse. When they pulled the horse away the man was just hanging there from the tree branch. Seemed pretty effective. We did a dry run with 15 gallons of water and did not spill a drop. I'm looking into getting an old kids swing set A frame so i can attach three chains & keggles to it at once. SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT!

so when are you going to 'wind them up' and try for a centrifugal trub separation in the boiler?

brewmonk said:

so when are you going to 'wind them up' and try for a centrifugal trub separation in the boiler?

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It's funny you should say that, because me and my son were just talking about attaching a swivel fitting on the chain. I don't think we could turn it fast enough though to create a centrifugal force.

Well, I started this as a SAFETY thread, so I will NOT be recommending a motorized *anything* here (but will secretly hope for the youtube link).

brewmonk said:

Well, I started this as a SAFETY thread, so I will NOT be recommending a motorized *anything* here (but will secretly hope for the youtube link).

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so you think we can motorize it?

Anything can be motorized, eventually. (Wouldn't get you anything, I don't think.)

Although it would be fun to see an old lawnmower, chained up in a tree, wildly spinning an out of control boiler kettle - flailing around in 200+ degree scalding death wobble.
(soundtrack: ....... oooooohhhh [BEEEP])

kettle of death? beuhler?